Run For Your Life
by ProtectorKorii
Summary: It's a training exercise, but it doesn't feel that way. Running from his pursuer through the streets of Gotham, fleeing for his life…. He knows it's necessary, but that doesn't make it any better right now.  Two New Chapters Up!
1. Robin

**A/N: Very different style here. I'm not sure what I think of it yet. **

**Robin's POV**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>Running.<p>

My lungs were screaming for air. I felt my heart constricting painfully. My sides ached as did my legs.

But I couldn't stop. Never stop. The moment I stopped he'd catch up. He was right behind me. So close- just out of reach. Maybe he was being nice, just playing me, as I ran from him.

But I couldn't stop. The moment I stopped another source of torture would occur.

First had been the drug. At the moment I didn't even remember how it had happened. Had it been during the fight? Had I taken it unwillingly? Had it been in my food? Had I taken it willingly? I couldn't remember. It didn't matter either. The drug had taken affect quickly. It was a mild hallucinogen, one that made things warp and caused the mind to become confused. I knew it well. I thought I'd be able to fight it off.

After that it had been just hand to hand fighting. He was bigger and stronger, but I thought I could beat him. Maybe. But tonight had been harder than any of my training sessions with Bruce. The hallucinogen began to take affect and fear swept through my veins. All my senses seemed heightened, but I knew I couldn't fully trust them. The drug made me believe things that weren't there.

That was partially why I'd taken such a beating. He'd known about the drug and used it to his advantage. My emotions were as heightened as my senses and just as warped. Fear. Fear was what he used, not only fighting.

Tiring and bearing many bruises I'd fled.

He'd followed close on my heels. We'd gone in a dizzying spin around the town. Every time I tried to lose him, he'd catch up. I tried to think of a plan of attack, a way to get him to stop. But it didn't work. I was never given a moment to think. He was always right there, two steps behind me but already thinking four ahead.

I'd tried an attack. I'd sent my bat-a-rangs, smoke bombs, gas pellets, everything at him. Only a few did any damage. He attacked me right back and sent his own weapons flying at me.

My heart was pounding in my chest, thudding so loud I was sure he could hear it a mile away.

I leapt backwards up onto the chimney of an old building. My breathing was tight and constricted and I wobbled a bit on my landing. I didn't even notice his weapon until it had cut through my shoulder. I gave a cry and sprang away.

Again I ran. I was running faster now, fear pulsing through my veins. I couldn't take more of this! No more of this chasing. No more of the torture. No more drugs, no more fighting, no more games. I couldn't take it.

I pulled out my communicator, intending to call when the sudden remembrance that Batman _wouldn't_ be helping me flitted through my brain. I had to fight for myself. I wasn't going to be getting help. I threw the communicator back into my belt and tried to put more distance between myself and him.

He was hanging back as he chased me. He wasn't tired. I knew that for sure. Then why….He was playing with me!

I realized it too late and I was ensnared in his trap. I glided into the old warehouse building intending it to be my safety. Instead the moment I'd stepped inside intense electricity swept through my body. I screamed in pain and fell to my knees.

The moment he'd stepped onto the windowsill the current stopped. I saw a control in his gloved hand.

"Robin." He sneered as he stood beside me. His voice was warped in my brain and sounded like it was coming from far away. Strong hands gripped my shoulders and I was pulled up. I realized I should fight. I knew I should. I knew I should at least _try_. But trying seemed impossible.

"Tell me, Robin." He hissed. "Who are you?"

"N-no." I managed to gasp the words out.

"Tell me!" He roared.

"No!" I shouted back.

He tossed me across the room. I wasn't disoriented enough to miss that. I was able to catch myself, bounding off the back wall and landing on my feet again. The drug and the fear had combined in my head and all I could see were shapes and shadows. He was there, a large black shadow slowly coming towards me.

Without thinking I'd lunged at him. He grabbed my arm, yanking it to the side. I screamed. He forced me to the ground, hissing the words out. "Who are you?" He demanded.

My body was shaking furiously now. I could barely control my own movements.

"I-I-I'm R-Robin." I managed to stutter out.

"Who are you really?" He demanded.

"No." I whispered. Unbidden, I felt tears come to my eyes.

He gave an angry hiss and threw me to the ground. "Tell me who you are." He ordered. "Tell me who Batman is. Who Superman is. Who Flash, Kid Flash, Superboy, Wonder Woman- _everyone_. Tell me."

"N-no." I could barely get the words out.

There was a harsh kick to my side. Not as harsh as it could have been, but enough to make me whimper. "Do you wish to die?" He demanded.

"No."

"Then tell me your name!"

"N-n-n…" I couldn't even form the word, I was shaking so hard. I was sobbing now too. "N-no. No more." I begged. "No more."

Rough hands pulled me up and I struggled uselessly. A gloved finger pressed against my face and I screamed as he pulled the mask away.

"No!" I shrieked. I pressed my eyes closed but that didn't help. I knew he'd seen. He knew.

"Do you have a death wish, Richard Grayson?" He hissed. "Give yourself up and I'll let you live."

"No." I was sobbing hysterically. I couldn't get my breath.

"No? Then you are no use to me."

I yelled as he dragged me across the room. I shrieked and clawed at his hands.

Suddenly my head was thrust forward into a bucket of ice cold water. My mouth opened and water rushed in. He pulled me up a moment later and I sputtered and coughed and sobbed all at once.

"No more. No more. Please not this." I begged over and over. "I can't take it. Stop."

"One last chance." He warned.

"No more." I pleaded. My body was shaking so violently it was a surprise he was able to hold on. "Oh god, please."

"One last time." Was the response. Steely arms trust me forward again and I barely had a chance to suck in air before my head was forced underwater. "Try to survive." His voice was muffled but I heard the words, an order.

How to survive? I could barely control my actions anymore! My body jerked savagely in his arms and I squirmed to get free. No use. He was stronger than me and his arms kept me under the water.

Precious air began to leave and my lungs ached even more than they had during running.

The urge to breath in was impossible. I needed to breath in. I needed the air I knew I would not get. I was going to die.

My body sunk and I stopped struggling.

A moment later I was jerked out of the water. I gasped loudly and wretched my body out of his grasp. I stumbled back a few feet and fell to the floor.

"No more." I begged, sobbing now. "No more. Please. Please." I covered my head with my arms as he approached. "Please. I can't. No more."

"No more." He agreed.

This time a gentle hand was placed on my shoulder. Either way I flung it off, sobbing again. "Please Bruce, no more." I sobbed.

"There isn't any more. I promise." He murmured. A needle was pressed against my arm and I didn't even try to stop it.

The gentle hand was on my hair now, stroking it tenderly. The needle was removed and a second hand rubbed at my back.

"There you are, Dick." He was saying. "It's all over now. It's ok."

The drugs I'd been given were rapidly vanishing. Still, I shook like a leaf as Bruce drew me into his arms. "Shh… It's ok. You're ok." He whispered. His heavy cape fell across my shoulders. I burrowed into his warmth, sobbing anew. Bruce's arms tightened around me. "It's over. No more." He promised.

Bruce kept whispering apologies and rocking me. I sobbed for what seemed hours before my mind finally came to grips.

I was safe. Bruce was there. There wouldn't be any more training tonight.

"Hush Dickey." Bruce sounded broken as he cradled me. I realized that he thought he'd over done it. That he thought that he hurt me too bad and now he was trying desperately to hide his own tears. "I'm sorry." He whispered into my hair. "I didn't want to, but I needed to. You needed to know how it feels. You needed to know so that you'll be safe."

I knew. I knew that was why he'd injected me and made me fearful. That's why he'd chased me around town and fought me. That's why he'd set the trap. He was testing me, taking me to my limits. I knew that it was to help me so that in the future, when it would be a villain and not Batman who was chasing me, I'd be able to survive. I'd be able to think and stay calm.

I knew this all, but at the moment all I could do was cling tighter to Bruce and tremble.

Eventually the tremors stopped. Bruce kept speaking his gentle words and stroking my hair and rocking me. My body finally relaxed. I felt weak and tired, both physically and mentally.

"Did… did I do ok?" I asked.

"You did wonderful." Bruce assured me. "You did better than I ever expected, Dickey."

I managed to smile. Praise like that is not often heard from Batman.

He found my mask and tenderly placed it back over my face. "We're going home now." he whispered.

The next thing I know I was bundled up in a warm pair of clothes and wrapped in a pile of blankets. There was a steaming cup of hot chocolate in my hands and Bruce and Alfred were there. Alfred looked angry, not at me but at Bruce. And Bruce looked like someone had torn his heart out.

I don't like him feeling guilty. It wasn't his fault. I knew it had to be done. I knew what could happen. I'd told him to do it. It wasn't his fault.

"Daddy." I held my arms out and instantly I was in his embrace again.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"It's not your fault." I mumbled. I smiled slightly at him, hoping to calm him. "It was needed. And it was better you than any of our rogues."

Years from now when I'm being perused through the streets on my own and being pushed to my limits, it will be tests like these that allow me to survive. I'll be able to keep my calm. I'll know how to handle them. Years, even months from now, when the training saves my life both Bruce and I, and even Alfred, will be glad this happened.

Not now, but later we will.

I snuggled into my father's chest, content. "Thank you." I whispered softly.

Bruce pressed a kiss on my forehead. He doesn't say anything but I know what he means.

_No Dick, Thank You._

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><p><strong>AN: What did you thi****nk of this style? I'm not expecting to write many more like this, but this was an idea that refused to leave my mind. I hope I didn't put anyone off my stories! I promise the next update will be more like my usual ones. **

**Would anyone be interested in seeing Bruce's POV?**

**Please tell me honestly what you think. I'd really like to hear everything you have to say, including criticisms. **


	2. Batman

**A/N: Just about everyone asked for Bruce's POV. Bruce is insanely hard to write. I tried very hard and I hope I got it right. I rewrote this about four times. I hope I didn't go overboard or make him too out of character. **

**Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p>Of all the things I had done, this was the hardest. Training for years with masters, hunting down criminals, fighting off alien invasions, and even trying to stop Joker's insane schemes didn't even compare to this. <em>This<em>. Hunting down my own son.

My breath came out in soft pants as I watched him from a block away. He was running as fast as he could across the rooftops. Robin kept looking over his shoulder. The drug had already begun to take effect. He must be terrified.

Which was the whole point of it. My mouth pressed into a firm line as he stumbled on his next landing. He was favoring his right side. I must have hit him too hard.

_No_! My mind screamed at me instantly. I hadn't hit him too hard. Right now I wasn't supposed to be gentle. This wasn't a time for cuddling. I had to make sure he could handle this. He had to be able to fight through the worst case scenarios. If he was ever being hunted by a madman he had to know what to do. He had to be able to keep his calm and survive. That was the point of this lesson.

He _had_ to be hurt, he had to be terrified and disoriented, and he had to believe that I wasn't Batman. He had to believe that I truly would hurt him- kill him even. If he didn't the whole exercise would be a waste.

I watched again as he took off. He looked backwards and I saw an expression of fear on his face. He'd already begun to see things that weren't there.

Taking a deep breath I let myself fall back into the role I had to play in this. I wasn't Batman anymore and I certainly wasn't Robin's father.

With a snarl I leapt from my perch and chased after him. Robin saw me a moment later. His asked eyes widened in fear and he shot forward once more. I ran after him. I could have caught him easily. He was limping even as he ran and his grappling hook was being shot sloppily. But that wasn't the plan. I wasn't going to catch him yet. I needed to lure him into the trap.

A trap I felt horrible about, but it needed to be done.

"Robin!" I shouted his name harshly. He didn't hear. Or, if he did, he gave no sign of it. Even from a building away I could see him shaking. The mild fear dug I'd given him should be taking its toll. His body was trembling because of it. His vision and senses would be disoriented and the more fearful he was, the more his mind would play tricks on him. He had to remember the techniques I'd taught him in order to stay ahead of the drug.

Robin darted onto another roof. His body was pulled rigged now as he prepared for more running. Another leap and I was on the same rooftop.

Robin spun around and a barrage of bat-a-rangs flew at me. I pulled my cape up as a shield, deflecting most of them. I only had a brief moment to be proud of his feign before more rounds of weapons were being thrown at me. Gas, smoke bombs, bat-a-rangs, and even explosives. He tried to get in close but he was too weak and instead would dart away. I knew he was trying to plan and trying to get the upper hand.

But, after I could a zip line around his feet and brought him to the ground, it was a different story. Now Robin threw the weapons at me in a desperate attempt. Smoke clouded my vision long enough for him to cut his way out of my trap. His next attempts were still as distressed though. Bat-a-rangs flew at me, followed closely by more explosives.

He wasn't even aiming at me anymore! He was terrified and just wasting weapons, hoping they'd hit.

I growled in annoyance. That wouldn't help him. He had to _try._

Robin leapt onto an old chimney. HE was trying to get a moment to think. That was good. But he was too lost in thought. I threw a knife at him and it cut through his shoulder. I winced at Robin's startled look. He gave a cry as his hands flew to the wound.

He was shaking harder now. Any hope of making a plan vanished from his head and he fled again.

I gave him a moment of head start before racing after him. I let my cape billow out as I went. The sight, when he looked back, seemed to have the desired effect. Robin sped up in terror.

His breath was harsh and ragged. He was exhausted and spent. He'd not slept for two nights. I knew that. That's why we were doing this training tonight. He had to have the worst experience possible.

Maybe it was _too_ terrible of an experience though. I stopped as I saw him pull something out of his belt, his communicator. He held the device to his mouth and I froze.

I'd gone too far. He was going to call for help because he truly had forgotten that this was a training exercise. He believed that he really was in danger. I swore at myself for forgetting to block his signal. Of _course_ he'd call for help in a situation like this. I'd drilled it into his head after all. I should have taken the communicator away so he couldn't. That wasn't the point of the exercise.

The Justice League wouldn't understand. I could probably get kicked out because of training like this. They wouldn't understand the reasoning behind it; they couldn't with all their powers and invulnerabilities. They'd call it cruel, unusual, torture… they wouldn't understand.

For a moment I was about to call out to Robin and stop the whole thing. But then Robin put the communicator back into his belt without uttering a word. _He'd remembered_. He flashed a frightened look behind him, but a knowing one.

I breathed a soft sigh of relief. Robin trusted me entirely, even with something like this.

That only made me feel worse though as I led him into the trap. Even knowing it was me following him, Robin didn't change his efforts. He ran full force. He wasn't thinking enough. It was enough for me to steer him into the trap.

I squeezed my eyes tight as he burst through the window, hating what I knew would happen next.

His scream echoed. It rang through my ears and struck me through the heart. The electric field I'd placed on the window sent its waves through his body.

I entered the building faster than any villain would. As soon as I was in the window frame I pressed a button and the current stopped. Robin lay there for a few seconds before lifting his head to look at my.

I forced my features to twist into an evil sneer. "Robin." I hissed, using a voice that was neither mine nor Batman's. I seized his arms and pulled him to eyelevel with me. He hung limply in my arms. He didn't try fighting at all. I didn't know if this was a tactic of his or if he truly couldn't move.

"Tell me Robin," I said, "Who are you?"

Robin shuddered for a moment before me managed to say, "N-no."

"Tell me!" I roared. I shook him.

"No!" He shouted back. Finally I saw the defiance in him. Despite all his pain he was strong. Pride welled up in my chest, but I quickly shoved it back down.

No caring. No being proud. I was the enemy here.

With a growl I tossed him across the room. I prayed that he would catch himself before he slammed into the brick wall.

He didn't disappoint. He managed to catch himself. His feet hit the wall and he used it to rebound. He landed and only shook slightly on the impact. Good.

His eyes watched me as I strode towards him. No one else would have been able to tell, but I knew that his eyes were darting frantically around the room. He never truly focused on anything. The drug had taken complete control. All he could see now were shadows. All of his senses would be warped.

Suddenly he flew at me. He wasn't strong and the trust was weak. I caught his arm in the punch and yanked it to the side. Again he screamed, but I forced down my feelings and pushed him to the ground. "Who are you?" I demanded.

Robin was shaking furiously. His body was spasming beneath my grasp. His arm tugged madly to escape my hold but the move was only proved to hurt him more."I-I-I'm R-Robin." He managed to stutter out.

"Who are you really?" I demanded in a low growl.

"No." This time the word was not defiant. He sobbed and for a brief moment my heart constricted.

I gave a grunt and threw him to the ground harsher than I had meant to. "Tell me who you are!" I ordered. "Tell me who Batman is. Who Superman is. Who Flash, Kid Flash, Superboy, Wonder Woman- _everyone._ Tell me!" I roared.

"N-no." He sobbed. The words barely escaped his lips.

I kicked him. I hoped the kick was soft, but he winced anyway. "Do you wish to die?" I demanded.

"No."

"Then tell me your name!"

"N-n-n…" He couldn't even make the word form. Between his sobs and his shaking I feared he wouldn't be able to breathe. A large sob bubbled up in his throat. "N-no." He begged between sobs. "No more. No more."

He was begging me to stop. Not the attacker I was supposed to be, _me_. He didn't want to go on with the exercise.

As much as I wanted to comply…I couldn't. Not now. He had to be pushed beyond even this.

I hauled him up again and my fingers reached for his mask. It wasn't until I touched the fabric and ripped it off that he even realized. Robin shrieked and twisted helplessly. His blue eyes stared at me in horror before closing tightly. "No!" He shouted.

"Do you have a death wish, Richard Grayson?" I hissed. "Give yourself up and I'll let you live."

"No." His sobs had become hysterical and he was gasping for breath between every word he uttered. "No, no, no."

"No? Then you are no use to me."

He screamed as I dragged him across the room to the last bit. Dick's hands clawed uselessly at mine. He kept begging to stop. I doubted he even realized what he was saying anymore. He probably only half realized what was going on and he'd have no idea what was going to happen.

I closed my eyes briefly at the thought. This was the last thing I wanted to do, but it had to be done.

The thing that scared him most was falling. His parents had fallen to their deaths and that scared him more than anything else in the world. If I truly wanted to make this the worst experience possibly I should hold him over the ledge of the building and let him fall. In his state that would make it the worst possible.

That was what I should do, but I couldn't bring myself to do that to my boy. That would have pushed him well beyond his limits, but I couldn't do that to him.

Instead I went for the next thing: water. Richard was terrified of drowning. For years he hadn't known how to swim. Despite my teachings and the fact that now he was perfectly good in the water, drowning still remained his second biggest fear.

The thought nearly stopped me in my tracks as we approached the bucket of ice cold water. But I couldn't stop.

Hating myself, I thrust his head below the surface. Dick gasped underwater, sucking in the water.

I yanked him back up. He sputtered and sobbed all at once.

"No more. No more. Please, not this." He was begging. "I can't take it. Stop."

Before this would have been ok. He would have been begging his attacker, but he knew now that it was me holding him down. Now it was me he was begging to stop. I didn't know what I should do.

"One last chance." I warned. I almost hoped he took it so that this could be over.

"No more." He pleaded instead. "Oh god, please."

"Will you tell me?" I demanded. I didn't think he truly heard because all he did was keep begging for me to stop. He kept sobbing. By accident I broke character. "One last time."

I trust his head back down under the water. Just before he was under he took a breath. That calmed me slightly. He still had his wits about him. "Try to survive." I ordered.

It was hard to hold on when every instinct of mine was screaming for me to pull him back up. My fingers started cramping from the cold. It would be worse for Dick, much worse. The thought filled my head with dread. He jerked savagely in my arms. He squirmed and shook and sobbed beneath the ice cold water.

He lasted long, much longer than I expected. I was shaking almost as bad as he was now. I could feel the energy fleeting from his body. I felt his movements slow and his attempts become weaker and weaker. I felt his body struggling not to breathe- to not take that breath that his instincts were telling him to. His body was getting feebler and I didn't know when I should pull him up.

Suddenly his body went limp. I almost screamed in fright as I yanked him up quicker than ever.

It was a ruse! Pride and relief swept though me as Dick jerked out of my grasp and stumbled a few feet away. Even with all that he'd been able to keep some sense of mind. He _had_ survived.

It wasn't a complete fake though. He fell to the ground a moment later and was unable to get back up. "No more." He begged through his tears. "No more. Please. Please." He curled into a fetal position, his hands covering his head. "Please. I can't. No more."

"No more." I agreed softly. I placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

He flung it off anyway. "Please, Bruce, no more." He begged.

The use of my name shattered my heart into a million pieces. "There isn't any more. I promise." I murmured gently. I pulled the antidote out and pressed it into his arm. He didn't struggle. The antidote would work fast and I was glad for that.

I rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "There you are, Dick." I murmured. "IT's all over now. It's ok." I pulled him into my arms. One of my hands moved to stroke his hair.

I drew him closer as he shook. My heart ached. I felt horrible. I had done this to my son. Not Two Face, The Joker, Poison Ivy, or any villain. _I_ had done it to him.

"Shhh…. It's ok now." I promised softly. "You're ok."

This wasn't really true though. He was shaking like an addict and small spasms contorted his body. His body was also harboring bruises and cuts that I had given him. I draped my cape around him and hid him from the world. It also added a small bit of warmth. When he was younger, if he was scared I'd wrap him in the cape. He always said it made him feel safer. I desperately hoped it would add some comfort now, if only a little bit.

Dick's sobs grew for a moment. He clung to my chest now, twisting the bit of fabric he could get his hands on. "It's over." I promised again. "No more."

I kept apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Dickey." I murmured into his hair. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to, Dickey. I didn't want to hurt you. I'm so sorry. I know it scared you. I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I won't do that to you again."

I don't know how many of these words his mind actually registers. It's a full twenty minutes before he stops shaking. He was still sobbing but he was no longer frightened. "Hush Dickey." I murmured into his hair again. My voice cracked and a sob lumps into my throat.

"I'm sorry." I said again. "I didn't want to, but I needed to. You needed to know how it feels. You needed to know so that you'll be safe."

I felt like if I kept repeating these words he'd understand. That's all I wanted at the moment. I wanted nothing more than for him to tell me that it was ok. That he understood and that I had done the right thing. Without his assurance I don't know. I could have done something awful. He may never trust me again. He may not want me anymore. Not as a partner, maybe not even as a father.

I wouldn't blame him. I had put him through so much over the years and expected him to be ok with it.

It seems forever until Dick stopped sobbing. I kept telling him that everything would be fine. I rocked him like a baby and slowly he relaxed into my embrace.

"Did…did I do ok?" He asked sleepily.

"You did wonderful." I hastened to assure him. He _did_ do well. "You did better than I ever expected, Dickey."

That is true. He did better than I expected. I hadn't expected him to last that long or for him to have that much sense of mind by the end. But there were things he could have done better. I can't bring them up now though. Not when he's hurting like this. That would be the last thing he needed to hear.

He did do wonderful though. Better than anyone else could. Better than even Superman or any of those heroes with powers could have.

Dick smiled up at me and I gave him a returning one. Thank god. For the longest time I'd feared I'd never see his smile again. I was still unsure if he wanted me. But he'd smiled. That was a good sign.

I waited a few more minutes until I was sure he was ok. Then I found his mask and tenderly placed it back over his eyes. "We're going home now." I said gently.

Dick doesn't respond. He is asleep by the time we reach the Batmobile. He doesn't stir the whole trip back to the cave.

When I pulled in, Alfred was waiting. He was beside the medical table and had a whole array of medicines, bandages, and other supplies waiting. There was a deep frown set on his face and more anger in his eyes than I'd seen in ages.

He hadn't liked the idea one bit. He hated the thought and had actually yelled at me numerous times about it. Alfred never raised his voice, but about this he had.

"Master Richard?" He asked immediately.

"He's asleep." I said. I carried the bundle to the table and gently placed him down. I unwrapped him from my cape. In the florescent lights his bruises are even more pronounced.

Alfred's glare rivaled Superman's heat vision. He shoved me aside roughly and began to work. Dick had had worse before, of course, but never before had they been inflicted by me. Every time Alfred treated a wound I winced. _I_ had done that.

Twenty minutes later he had bandaged a total of eight cuts, twelve scrapes, and one gouge. He'd also put ointment on seventeen black and blue spots, and had several tests running to make sure there were no other problems. He'd dried Richard off and changed him into a warm set of pajamas.

Richard hadn't even stirred.

I didn't need Alfred's disapproving, angry, looks to realize that I'd overdone it. I'd pushed him way beyond his limits. It was my fault that this had happened to him. I knew the reasoning behind the exercise. I had repeated it like a mantra all through the exercise and for days before as I'd tried to convince myself that it was the right thing. I kept repeating them now, trying to assure myself that it was alright.

"Can you take him to his room?" Alfred's voice brought me from my thoughts. His eyes are tight and his wrinkles are more pronounced. Alfred's looks disappointed in me, angry even. That is worse than anything. At least until Dick awakes.

I took him to his room and bundled him up in warm blankets. Alfred got hot chocolate. He didn't say another word to me.

It took over an hour before Dick woke up. When he did his eyes scanned the room blearily. Confusion was etched into his face. He stared at the clothing and the pile of blankets, and at the hot coco. Finally he looked at is. I saw the pain in my face reflected in his eyes.

He studied me a moment. My heart constricted as I worried that he may not want me after all.

But then he held his arms out to me. "Daddy." He whispered hopefully.

I crushed him against my chest. The sobs I was trying desperately to hold back started to form. "I'm so sorry." I whispered into his hair.

"It's not your fault." He mumbled. Those words were accompanied by a smile. He shifted to look up at me. "It was needed. And it was better you than any of our rogues."

Those words are what I needed to hear. I needed to know that he understood. It seemed he did. He understood my intentions and he didn't hate me for it. That was what I had needed to hear from him. For some reason though, the words don't make me feel that much better.

Dick snuggled closer to me. My arms wrapped tighter around him. "Thank you." He whispered softly.

I kiss his forehead and squeezed him close. I don't say anything. I can't say anything. My throat had constricted painfully and tears were threatening to spill out of my eyes.

_No Dick,_ I think_, thank you._

It was this boy who brought me back to life. It was him who was able to bring life and joy back into my life. It was Dick that made me realize that the world had hope. I never thought I'd be able to love. I'd never thought having a son was possible. Not only was it possible, I'd realized, but it was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

I press the boy tighter to my chest.

_No Dick, thank you._

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><p><strong>AN: Again, I hope you enjoyed. Bruce is very hard to write. How did you think I did? **

**I was shocked at how much people seemed to enjoy the last chapter and I hope this chapter hasn't let anyone down. Again, please let me know what you think. I love to hear what you liked best and worst or if you found anything wrong. It helps me do better next time.**

**FuzzyBee103 suggested a chapter with the team that has Dick's training coming into play. I may write this chapter, so be on the lookout for a third and final installment! **


	3. Alfred

**A/N: I've been having a writer's block which is why the chapter with the Team has not been posted. I also didn't want to sound like I was just copying the new episode! However, **Jedi Ani Unduli **was so wonderful as to leave a review mentioning Alfred's POV and suddenly this popped into my head.**

**So thank you very much Jedi Ani Unduli for making my mind jump over the roadblock! Please enjoy some Alfred. He is based very much on the Alfred in "Robin Year One". **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

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><p>I had made it clear to Master Bruce many times that recruiting Master Richard into his business was disastrous. When the eight year old had started I'd hoped it would only last a few days. Days turned into weeks and then into years. Now, at age thirteen, Robin is still the partner of Batman.<p>

Many times this seems like the only way. It is now hard to imagine Batman without Robin. It seems natural for Master Richard to be Robin. And the addition of Dick Grayson into Bruce Wayne's life has made a difference in him. There is now a light in the Master's life. I've even seen him smile and laugh, which for years seemed improbable. So it only seems reasonable that Master Richard to continue being the Robin to Bruce's Batman.

However, there are times when I know this is not true. It is not natural for a young man to be running around the world fighting for "justice" and ignoring his youth in favor of that goal. This is only made all the more clear when the Masters return from an exploit with Master Richard in considerably bad condition.

This is the prime example and in my mind, the last possible straw.

I stand in the dreary cave beneath the manor, staring at the empty spot, and willing the car to pull in. How much longer will it be before they arrive back? How much will have occurred? Will Master Bruce have stopped before going too far? For some reason I doubt this. I fear the broken boy which may return home tonight.

I do not know how I could have let this happen. Indeed, I did not find out all the parts of the operation until just before it started, and by then there was nothing more I could do. Still, this was not right in any sense. A father hunting down his own son? Nothing in the world should have that happen, and yet Master Bruce had _planned_ for such a thing!

It is exactly three hours, forty nine minutes and thirty two seconds from when they left that they arrive home. The Batmobile thunders into the cave and my heart constricts as Master Richard does not immediately leap from the car with a witty joke as so often is the case.

My breath catches as Batman steps out from the car. Master Bruce's movements are slow, lethargic, as if he's in shock.

_No._

"Master Richard?" I demand.

"He's asleep." Master Bruce's voice is gentle, almost scared.

My eyes narrow as I see the bundle in his arms. It is very rare that I get truly angry. Seeing the horrors that Gotham has to offer left me with a high tolerance. But the sight before me is one that I cannot help but be outraged by.

Master Richard is wrapped tightly in Batman's cape. His form is white and he is sweating. He's shivering though. I see bruises and cuts across his flesh. Knowing that it was Batman, his mentor, his _father_ that did this infuriates me. To what lengths will Master Bruce go in order for his crusade to win? He will lose sight of what is truly important soon, I fear.

Master Bruce sets the boy gently down on the medical table. I had prepared for the worst, though I had hoped desperately that I would need none of the supplies.

Gently I undress the boy of his armor. Even with the Kevlar, bullet proof vest, and other protective wear, there are new dark bruises marring his flesh. A long cut runs up his side, not very deep or dangerous, but painful none the less. There is a bump forming on his head. Another cut runs along his shoulder. A deep purple spot is forming on his lower leg.

I shove Master Bruce aside and begin to work. Master Richard does not even stir. He is out cold. I don't know if it is from exhaustion or if Master Bruce had done that to him.

"Alfred-" Master Bruce starts and stops as soon as I send a glare his way.

He looks guilty, guiltier than ever before, but this doesn't assuage _my_ guilt. I should have protested more. I should have altered the League of their plans. I should have stopped this.

Twenty minutes later I have treated the outward injuries. I have no idea the extent of his mental injuries.

"You drowned him." I whisper as I run a towel over the boy's damp body.

"I didn't." Batman is speaking, not Master Bruce. "Drowning means he died. He isn't dead." The words are growled out defensively.

"He's terrified of drowning."

"I know."

The test was to take Master Richard and push him past his limits. I fear Master Bruce did this ten times over. He seems to know his errors now, but that no longer will help. Nothing I say will alleviate the problem either.

"Can you take him to his room?" I ask instead. Master Bruce jumps at my words. He meets my eyes and I see my disapproval reflected. He looks away like a child being scolded.

Then, carefully, he lifts the boy into his arms and carries him away.

I don't know what else to do so I go to the kitchen. I make hot chocolate, one of Master Richard's favorite things after patrol. I take it back to the young master's bedroom and wait.

Master Bruce sits beside the bed. His eyes look haunted. He sends worried glances in my direction, but I say nothing. I must stay to see how Master Richard fairs. I don't yet know what to think. I am still thinking that I may need to call in the League to deal with this. As much as the thought pains me, seeing Master Richard so hurt by Master Bruce's hand is worse.

It takes over an hour before Master Richard awakes. He is tired and confused. He doesn't seem to remember arriving home, or even stopping in his chase around town. He stares at the blankets and hot coco in his hands. Hesitantly he raises it to his face to breath in the warm scent.

Finally, Master Dick sees us. There is no fear in his face. Nothing indicates that he is upset over what happened. He simply seems confused and I fear for a moment that he had a concussion that I'd missed.

His eyes land on Master Bruce and that is no longer the case. I can see the understanding in his body. He knows what happened. Instead of fear or anger there is only acceptance. "Daddy." He whispers and holds his arms out to Master Bruce.

He is in his father's arms instantly. Master Bruce crushes him close apologizing over and over, though I doubt he even knows he's saying the words.

"It's not your fault." Master Dick mumbles. He cuddles closer and his eyes meet his father's. "It was needed." He insists. "And it was better you than any of our rogues."

I do not know what to think of this. Master Dick is ok with what happened. He understood and he seems to actually have appreciated the terrible exercise. I fear that he is as embedded in this fight for justice as Master Bruce is.

Master Richard snuggles closer and whispers "Thank you," Master Bruce say nothing, although he presses his lips against the boy's forehead.

Long moments pass before any of us speak again. "It won't happen again." Bruce says suddenly. "Nothing like that will happen again." Bruce looks over his shoulder at me, "I promise." He adds.

"I should hope not." The words are the first I have spoken in hours and I hear a slight tremble in my voice. Master Richard looks up and grins at me.

"It won't." He says proudly. "Next time I'll be able to beat him and anyone else."

Days later the same laughter as usual echoes up through the Batcave and flitters around the manor as if nothing had happened. Already Master Richard is patrolling the streets with both Batman and his new team, Young Justice. Batman and Robin are once again united in their quest for Justice.

As I peak into the rooms at night, however, I do not see the Boy Wonder.

The world sees him as a large than life figure. His team surely does not treat him differently, despite being a young human. The Justice League is used to seeing him around and almost assumes that he's the same as his mentor, if not in personality than in his abilities. The Police put their full trust in him and believe he is more capable than their whole SWAT team. Even Batman regularly seems to forget that his side kick is still only a young boy.

As I step into his room to gently right his sheets and more firmly tuck the stuffed animal he still sleeps with into place, I do not see Robin.

I see Dick Grayson.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If I get enough reviews I may still write some more chapters involving either the team or the League. I haven't gotten too many reviews though so I don't know how many people actually read and enjoy this story.**

**Please let me know your thoughts and opinions! And jump over to "Of Flying Robins" if you're interested in something happy and cute with little Robin.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	4. Young Justice

**A/N: First off I want to apologize for not updating sooner. This story is hard to write, and as fight-scenes are my worst aspect of writing, this was a hard chapter for me to write.**

**That being said, here is my attempt at Young Justice. Robin's skills come into play. This is mainly a set-up for the next chapter which will involve the JLA finding out about Batman's training. This chapter may be re-edited in the future.**

**But until then, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own this**

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><p>"We're going to die. We're going to die." Artemis's voice was choked with sobs as she pulled back further into the darkness. Beside her Kaldaur was at a loss. He didn't know what to do or say. The team had been split up as soon as they'd entered the building. A huge explosion had gone off and he'd only just found Artemis. None of the communicators were working and neither was Meghan's mind link.<p>

The situation seemed hopeless. He didn't even know who out of the others was alive. And, if they were, he didn't know where they were being held or what condition they were in. Not only that, but Artemis had used almost all of her arrows. He wished he knew where the others were so they could escape. Through, truly, he didn't even know how they'd do that at this point.

It had seemed so simple to get in and out, yet now they were trapped with hundreds of ninja assassins and an unknown super villain. He remembered Robin recognizing him just before the explosion had happened. That meant the villain was probably from Gotham, which didn't bode well for them in any case.

But Aqualad was the leader, so he turned to Artemis and grabbed her shoulders. "We _will_ survive." He said firmly. "Remember what Robin said when the Reds attacked? Get traught or get dead."

The archer took a steadying breath and nodded. "We need to find them." She said.

"We will. Come, this way." Kaldaur and Artemis took a turn down one of the many halls in the twisting underground labyrinth. Somehow the hallways were empty. That only scared Kaldaur more. Why would they leave the whole place unguarded when they knew that not everyone was captured?

It had to be a trap. But at this point, that was their only option. Hopefully they'd find the others at that point as well.

As they rounded another corner suddenly Meghan's voice echoed into their minds. "Can you hear me?" Her voice cried frantically.

"Meghan! Artemis and I are here." Kaldaur thought back.

"Superboy and I are too."

"I'm here." Wally's thoughts joined them.

"Me too." Robin added.

"Have you seen any guards?" Artemis asked. "We don't have any near us."

"No. They all seem to have gone missing."

"Which could only mean that we're walking into a trap." Kaldaur finished.

"Then shouldn't we-" Superboy's thoughts were immediately cut off by an earsplitting scream from Meghan.

"Meghan!" Kaldaur cried.

The mind link was down. "We have to find them." Artemis cried. They ran quicker through the halls.

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><p>Robin watched in horror from the ceiling of the building as his team dissolved into madness. Superboy was screaming and practically growling. He flew at every object he could find and was throwing punches around with animalistic tendencies, just like in Bylinda.<p>

Meghan was sobbing, floating in the air. Every so often a terrible scream would penetrate her and suddenly all the objects in the room would go flying.

Kaldaur was struggling to stay up as he moved slowly through the room. He was muttering in his native tongue.

Artemis was screaming ear splitting cries. Her hands groped for leverage on everything. Not finding anything she began to claw at her own skin.

Wally was sitting still on the floor. His body was vibrating so fast that you could barely even see him anymore. He was curled into a fetal position and seemed to be in shock.

Robin looked from his teammates back to the antodite he had with him. He had to get them out of here. He had to save them. But he only had three things of antidote and there were six of them. A shaky breath caught in his throat. He didn't have a choice. He had to use his training. It was up to him to get them out of here.

Meghan let out another scream. As the objects went flying Robin made use of the distraction to jump down from his hiding spot. Artemis was the first he had to get to. Already her fingernails were leaving bloody marks along her arms.

He jumped behind her before she could react and plunged the needle into her arm. Her eyes shot open and she jumped at him. Frantically she tried to attack him. Her punches went wild though and Robin was able to dodge until the medicine took effect. Her body was still shaking but her vision seemed to be coming back. She saw Robin in front of her and finally her own pain registered in her mind.

"W-what?" She managed to ask. Her body was shaking terribly and her senses seemed off. She let out a shaky breath and looked at Robin. "What happened?"

"The team got hit by the fear gas." Robin explained. "We have to give Meghan and Superboy the antidotes."

"Fear gas?" Artemis's mind was slow.

Robin took her hand, yanking her out of the way as Superboy threw a slab of concrete at them. "It's a different version. The antodite I gave you will only help out a bit. You need to stay calm. It'll wear off soon."

Artemis took a slow breath. She needed something to do. Something to focus on. "What can I do?"

"Get Meghan. I'll take care of Superboy." Robin gave her the last needle before running off for his own target.

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><p>Robin's body shook but he forced his feet to move those few more steps. It was only a bit more before he was able to get outside the compound. Then he'd be able to reach the League. Once he was out of the signal blocking zone it would be ok.<p>

A sudden figure made him scream.

He shook his head. It was only a shadow. There was no one else there. He'd left his team back at the compound to recover while he tried to contact the League. And the villains had all left earlier, expecting Young Justice to kill themselves.

_Only a few more steps_. He told himself. His mind was in overdrive. Every shape transformed into grotesque figures. His body was trembling and it was hard to even move. _I can do this_. He thought again. _Only a bit further. It's ok. You've done this with Batman._

Robin made it. As soon as he heard the buzz of his comlink he collapsed to the ground. "Batman come in." He said with only a hint of desperation in his voice. "Teams in trouble. R8 S5 Code Yellow… or Orange I guess. That should really be an alert level."

"Robin?" The voice on the other end of his link was comforting to his ears. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to be in his mentor's arms.

"Dad." His voice was plaintive.

He heard the sharp intake of breath from Batman. "I'm sending Flash and Superman over first. I'll be there. Stay where you are Robin." Batman ordered. The link died.

Robin forced his shaking body up. Launching his grappling hook into the trees he shot back towards the base. He didn't trust his feet to take him the whole way back. The grappling hook took him back quicker though, back to his waiting team.

The team was a mess. Meghan's mental state was terrible. She'd had not only her own fear, but everyone else's compounding in her. Superboy was fine but he still crouched away from them, worried he'd hurt them again. Artemis was the best off. She busied herself taking care of the others to keep her mind focused. Robin had given her a thing of bandages to wrap her arms in. She was working on that with trembling fingers.

The antodite he'd given hadn't been perfect. It had only helped slightly, enough to give them their state of mind back. They were still terrified and jumped at sudden movements. But it would make the effects wear off sooner. In another hour they'd be fine.

One of the slabs of concrete Superboy had been throwing around had hit Kaldaur. The atlantian now had a broken arm. He was still calm, though his mind kept jumping back to atlantis. Sometimes he'd scream with fright. Atlantians had a higher tolerance to fear gas, like most poisions, but it was still affecting him. Kid Flash's vibrating had slowed as the fear gas worked through his system quicker than the others. But, as Robin hadn't been able to give him the antidote, at the moment there was nothing more they could do for him.

Robin landed beside Artemis. The girl gave a shriek and jumped three feet back. It took a long moment for her to realize it was just Robin. "How-how are they?" Robin gasped.

"They'll survive." She whispered. "Did you-?"

"Yea. They're on their way." Robin tried to make his voice soothing. He glanced at Wally. He was still vibrating too much for Robin to try and help. When he stepped towards Superboy he'd been yelled at and Aqualad had told him to leave him alone. So he just sat back down and opted for talking with Artemis and Meghan, keeping them calm. "It's ok." He soothed. "The fear gas will wear off. Batman is bringing the final antidote if you need it."

"You- you must have built up an-an immunity, huh?" Artemis asked with a shudder.

"Yea." Robin lied. "It's not so bad."

"Bad? It's terrible!" Meghan sobbed loudly. "All the pain… the fear… it's…"

"Hey, Miss M, it's ok." Robin's hand fell onto her shoulder. "This is nothing."

"N-nothing?"

"Batman and I have been through worse." Robin assured her. "We came out fine each time."

"But-"

"This is nothing." Robin repeated. "Batman's prepared me. What he's done to me is ten times worse than this."

"But how-"

Just then Flash and Superman arrived. They were the first ones there, being aided by their super speed. Flash immediately went to Wally's side as he tried to calm the boy down.

"What happened?" Superman asked. His eyes were wide as he took in the damage. Huge craters were in the floor in walls from Superboy. Objects were scattered around the place like feathers from Miss Martian's telepathy. Spots of blood littered the room.

"Scarecrow." Robin spoke up. He made his way to the hero's side. "The Light hired him to make fear gas. He got the whole team."

"Are you ok?"

"Never been better." Robin lied.

Superman pushed him onto the ground. "Stay seated." He ordered. He could tell that Robin's heartbeat was dangerously high. The boy was somehow repressing the shudders that ransacked his body with a fearful force. Superman picked up on this and quickly draped his cape around his shoulders, hoping that would at least comfort the boy a little.

"What needs to be done?" Superman asked.

"Talk with Superboy. He's scared he'll hurt us again."

Superman nodded at the request and even complied. Superboy didn't even flinch as Superman knelt beside him. Connor just hid his head and began mumbling uncompressible words while Superman tried to talk with him gently.

Robin made his way back over to the girls. He needed to keep them calm until the League arrived.

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><p>It took an hour for the rest of the League to arrive. Robin was pleased to see that the fear gas had worn off the rest of the team by now. But his own health was a different thing. It took everything he had not to dissolve into a sobbing mess on the floor.<p>

"Batman." Robin breathed a sigh of relief as his father hurried to his side.

"Are you alright?" Batman asked. He drew the boy close.

"Fine." Robin whispered. He relaxed into Batman's embrace. Batman frowned as shaking ransacked the small body. He wrapped his arms around the bundle.

"What happened?" Batman asked, addressing the whole team.

"The Light." Kalduar explained. He stepped up to inform the League about what had happened. Robin tried to listen and add in but he couldn't feel like it anymore. His shaking was getting worse and he buried himself further into Batman's chest.

"Robin was the one who saved us." Kalduar said. Robin's head snapped up at his name. He gave a small smile when he realized it was only his friend who was talking. Kaldaur smiled back at him. "Robin had the presence of mind to give us the antidote and keep us from killing one another. It was he who managed to contact the league as well."

"Without him we wouldn't be alive." Artemis added softly.

Batman nodded. His hand protectively landed on Robin's head. He smiled slightly at his partner. The boy hated the feargas but he'd been able to work through it.

"Just like training. It wasn't as bad as the training." Robin whispered to him.

"You did good." Batman whispered back. He was glad Robin was ok. It seemed the fear gas had already faded from everyone's systems. Robin was always like this after he'd been hit with it, scared from the nightmares and wanting reassurance.

Batman stroked his son's hair as Kaldaur finished recounting the mission. Robin leaned into the touch. It was the only thing comforting right now. Batman was the only thing safe. Anything else was a terrifying through in his mind. A soft sob escaped his lips.

That's what made Batman freeze. "Robin." He snapped, cutting off anything Kaldaur had been saying. "Look at me."

Robin tilted his face up. Batman glowered at the boy. He reached into his utility belt and plunged a needle into the boy's arm. "You're supposed to take the antidote yourself!" He practically shouted. "You know that!"

"I-I c-couldn't." Robin shuddered. His body collapsed into Batman's arms. "Superboy and Miss M were too dangerous to leave with the fear gas."

"The third should have been for you." Batman snapped. "You know that."

"I couldn't." Robin repeated. "Artemis was going to claw her eyes out." His body gave a large shudder as Batman pushed another needle into his arm.

"Leaving it in your system this long could kill you." Batman said. He knelt on the floor now and pulled Robin into his lap.

"Mmm…" Robin's eyes closed sleepily as the antidote swept through his system.

"Wait," Wally was the first to snap out of the shock. "You mean you've been dealing with the effects of this the _whole time_?"

Robin nodded. "No big deal. I've had worse." He mumbled.

"_Worse_?" Artemis cried. "I tried to kill myself!"

"And I tried to kill everyone else." Connor added in horror.

Batman ignored the comments and lifted Robin into his arms. "I'm taking him back to the Batcave." He announced before striding out of the room.

Meghan shuddered and stepped closer to her uncle. "He was so calm. I thought…."

"We didn't know." Connor added softly.

"How could he be so _calm_?" Artemis cried. "Just like with the Reds. But with the fear gas… how…?"

"Maybe he just built up immunity to it." Wally said quickly. "I mean, he does fight Scarecrow a lot."

It took only a bit longer before the Justice League herded everyone onto their javelin to take them back to the base. Everyone was quiet. The young heroes were still shaken from their experience and no one really know what to say

"Uncle J'onn?" Meghan asked softly. All eyes flew to the first sound. Her uncle quickly asked if she was alright, or if she needed anything. "I'm fine. It's about Robin."

"Batman says he's fine." Flash promised quickly. "I got him on the radio. He said Robin is sleeping peacefully."

Meghan shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "I… my question…. It's about him and Batman."

"What about them?" Green Arrow asked.

"I… after he'd given us the antidotes… while we were waiting…I didn't know how he was handling it. And well, he told me that what Batman had put him through was worse." Meghan's eyes met her uncle's. "What does that mean?"

"Tell me exactly what he said." Wonder Woman demanded.

"He said _this is nothing. Batman's prepared me. What he's done to me is ten times worse than this."_ She took a shuddering breath and shook her head. "He didn't say that the Gotham Villains were worse, or that things he's been through are worse…. He said _Batman_ was worse."

The League seemed to hold their breaths. Superman swore loudly and his fists clenched tightly. Flash and Green Arrow shared a worried knowing look. Wonder Woman wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head. "I knew he'd go too far." She hissed.

Wally looked at his uncle. "Batman wouldn't hurt him." he insisted.

"If it's for the Mission, he would." Superman growled. "Batman would do anything for the Mission."

"But… Batman is his mentor." Artemis whispered

"His _dad_." Wally added hopefully. "Batman wouldn't hurt him, would he?"

"I don't know." His uncle whispered.

They didn't know, but they were sure going to find out.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope this chapter did not diaspoint. I'd love to hear what could be improved though or what you'd like to see next. I do plan on writing a final chapter. Hopefully it won't take as long to update as this chapter did!**

**Once again, thank you very much for reading and for reviewing. please let me know what could be improved or what you liked about the chapter!**


	5. Alfred and Clark

**A/N: First of all, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers. Even though it has taken me AGES to update this, I've continued to get words of encouragement and support. It Is greatly appreciated and I just love you guys so much. I've tried to cover every angle in this story. **

**This is a short chapter leading up to the long next chapter, so don't be alarmed at it's size.**

**Thank you very much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

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><p><strong>Alfred's POV:<strong>

The call was not one I was expecting, nor one that I had ever wanted to get. I had hoped, futilely I realized now, that this would never have to happen. I never wanted a confrontation to happen. But, as Master Kent spoke on the other end of the line, I realized that I didn't have a hope for that anymore.

"Alfred, what did he do?" Master Kent's voice was harsh, completely at odds from what Superman usually sounded like.

"I'm not sure what you mean." I said even though I knew perfectly well what he was talking about.

"Bruce. What did he do to Richard?" The man all but growled into the phone, doing a great imitation of Master Bruce. "The kids had a mission. Richard had the fear gas in his system for _hours_ and acted like nothing was wrong. He said what Bruce had done to him was worse than anything he'd gone through, so I repeat: what did Bruce do?"

I was quite for a moment, debating what to say. There was nothing really to say. What had happened all those months ago was coming back to haunt Master Bruce. The training he'd harshly put Robin though was going to get him in trouble, just as I had suspected when it had started. I'd almost called the League back then and told them, but I'd stopped myself. Now I couldn't stop them. I only hoped it wouldn't harm Master Bruce and Master Richard too badly.

"It was a training exercise, nothing more." I said. "Master Richard gave his full consent. No harm came from it." This was again a stretch of the truth, but I didn't wish for the league to do anything rash.

Master Kent said a rather colorful word before speaking again. "How could he do that to him, Alfred? That's his _son!"_

"It was to keep him safe, to keep him alive. I had my reservations at first too, Master Kent." I glanced up the hallway to where Richard was still asleep in his bed. "It saved his life and the lives of his teammates yesterday."

"That doesn't mean… he can't do this Alfred." Master Kent insisted. "If we don't stop him here, what will be the next step? Will he torture him to make sure he can endure it? Will he break his bones just so he knows how it feels? How much more will Bruce do for the Mission!" By the end of it Master Kent was yelling.

I winced, not because of the scream but because he was right. It was a question I'd pondered many times since that faithful night, even since Master Richard first became Robin. How far would Bruce go for the Mission? After that night I realized he may go to any lengths. I'd hoped that having Robin would stop Batman from jumping that fine line. Instead he'd simply pulled a young boy down with him.

"The League is having a meeting." Master Kent said finally. "We want to talk with Batman and figure out what to do from there."

"I see."

"Bruce won't come if he knows the reason."

"I agree." It broke my heart to agree to the plan, but what else was there to do? I was confident that the Justice League would not be too rash. But still, it worried me. What worried me more though was what could happen without their intervention.

"Then you'll help us?"

"I will not _help you_," I said firmly. "I will help Master Bruce and Master Richard though. If this is the means to do so, then I will." I glanced again at the closed door for Master Richard's room. "Master Bruce will be at the meeting. I will give you information about the exercise if you wish."

"Yes, thank you Alfred." Master Kent seemed greatly relieved.

I took a deep breath before I continued. "Understand, Master Kent… it may seem hard to believe at times but Master Bruce loves Richard dearly. He loves him with all his heart and everything he does is only to protect the boy. It will seem hard to believe, but you must remember that. And remember that Master Richard trusts him, and is quite able to handle himself."

"I'll remember." Master Kent promised before he hung up.

I looked away from the telephone. It was hard for even me to remember that at times. I wondered how the Justice League would possibly remember it.

And, as Master Bruce exited his son's room with a gentle smile, I wondered again if I had done the right thing.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you again to everyone for reading! I had to put up this short chapter with Alfred's POV. It is a lead up to the next chapter.**

**If you could take a quick moment to let me know what you think I'd love it!**

**Thank you again for reading!**

**Onto the next chapter! - **


	6. Confrontation

**A/N: ****A special thanks to Jedi Ani Undull, Random Under the Sun, TheGrayson, FuzzyBee013, Sophia Griffin, KKCopper, and Adriva J. I have used inspiration from you guys to help write this chapter! It is super greatly appreciated. If it hadn't been for you (and all of my wonderful reviewers and followers) I may never have finished this story.**

**Thank you to everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

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><p><strong>A few days later:<strong>

"Where are _you_ going?" Richard's voice was light and teasing as he trained on the acrobatic equipment in the batcave. He flipped from one bar to the next, finally coming to rest beside Batman as he finished putting his Batsuit on.

"There is a meeting up at the Watch Tower." Batman said simply.

Dick gave a lopsided smile. "Can I come?" It was something he asked more out of habit, as a joke, rather than because he thought Bruce actually would let him. Besides, Batman knew that he could easily hack into the watch towers' computers to watch if he wanted to. He'd done it often enough times before. Batman hadn't yelled at him though because, secretly, he was proud of him for doing so.

"Not today." Batman said. He pulled on my gloves and looked Dick over. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He said. He looked fine too. After the Scarecrow incident with Young Justice he'd been bedridden for two days. He seemed alright now, happy, unphased by the gas, and eager to get back to his team. He'd even gotten to go on patrol last night. He'd gotten knocked around by some thugs, but even so he was still doing pretty well.

"Good." Bruce smiled at him. "I'll be home in time for patrol if you're feeling up to it."

"You bet." Dick said with a laugh. He was back on the parallel bars almost immediately. "Hey, can I go to the Mountain today?"

"If you must. Be careful."

He laughed again. "Yea, yea, sure." He rolled his eyes. "Stop being so protective."

Batman gave him one last, small, smile before heading towards the teleporters. "Behave."

"Don't I always?" Bruce caught his last laughed words just as he was taken to the Watch Tower.

When Batman arrived J'onn was waiting. The martian's face was impassive as usual. The fact that he was around to greet Batman was odd though. Shouldn't he be in the meeting? Usually he was the first one there. The rest of the Watch Tower was empty too. The usual occupants seemed to have disappeared.

"Has something happened?" Batman asked as they walked to the meeting room.

"I only wished to greet you." The martian said, but his words were hesitant- fake.

Bruce frowned. "Something happened. This isn't a routine meeting."

J'onn didn't deny the truth to the words, but neither did he make to explain what was going on. Batman frowned and began going over multiple scenarios in his mind. He couldn't remember anything happening with the League to cause such tensions. He knew Luthor and Joker and many of the other super criminals were still in jail, so it wasn't that. Then what was it?

The two heroes entered the conference room and Batman froze. The original seven members were waiting along with Aquaman and Green Arrow. Batman frowned. Perhaps it was something about the children then.

"What is the meaning of this?" He questioned as he took his customary seat.

"We need to talk about Robin." Superman's voice had a hard edge to it. Batman glanced up at him.

"What about him?"

"You are no longer fit to take care of him. We're removing him from your protection."

* * *

><p>"Hey guys! How is everyone?" Robin entered the Cave and grinned. None of his friends smiled back, not for real. M'gann and Wally gave a hesitant smile. Everyone seemed nervous though. They were sitting on the edge of their seats. Black Canary was there with them too, a deep frown on her face.<p>

"Uh, did something happen, guys?" Robin asked nervously. He took a seat on the couch and tilted his head to the side, wondering why they were acting so strange.

Suddenly M'gann gasped. "What happened to your neck?" she cried.

"Huh? Oh. That." Robin pulled the neckline of his costume down a bit, revealing deep bruises. "Nothing much, I just got strangled last night." He shrugged it off.

"Where else are you hurt, my friend?" Kaldur asked.

Robin frowned at them. "Really, guys, it's nothing."

"Where else, Robin?" Black Canary asked softly.

"Well… I got lobbed in the back of the head too, but that's already healed. And, uh, a couple days ago I cracked a rib in training but that's nothing."

Wally's hands clutched at the armrests. He wouldn't meet Robin's eyes. "You broke a rib in _training?"_ He demanded.

"I cracked a rib." Robin corrected. "I wasn't paying attention and I hadn't worn all my armor. Really, it's nothing."

"That's nothing?" Wally exclaimed. He jumped up, gesturing wildly. "You broke a rib, got a concussion, and almost got strangled and you're _ok_ with this? What the heck does Batman do to you?"

Robin blinked. "Dude, calm down. I'm fine. Batman has prepared me for-"

"Batman!" Connor exclaimed now. "Batman is-"

"That's enough." Black Canary's stern voice broke into their words. "Boys, sit down. Robin, we need to talk."

"Obviously. What's going on?" Robin eyed each of them. M'gann looked close to tears and wouldn't meet his eyes. Artemis looked furious and she kept glaring off into space. Kaldur looked worried. Connor looked angrier than usual and Wally looked almost as upset.

"On your last mission you were all hit by the fear gas." Black Canary explained slowly. "Of the team, only you were able to keep your composure, even though you were under the fear gas for hours. M'gann mentioned that you'd said you'd been trained for that. We want to know what that training was."

Robin's heart sunk. No. They couldn't know about what had happened! He and Batman had kept it as secret as possible because they knew how much trouble they could get into.

Robin smiled and gave a short laugh though to cover. "Heck, I've been exposed that that stuff so much it takes forever for it to really affect me anymore."

"We checked." Wally said. His voice was flat and serious. "Robin, the effects of that get worse every time you get hit, not better."

"That's not true. That's only for certain strains. Besides, being hit with it so much I've gotten used to it."

"That's not what you said." M'gann whispered. Her fearful eyes met his masked ones. "You said that what Batman had done to you was worse. You didn't say what the Scarecrow had done, or Joker, you said Batman."

Robin fell silent as all the eyes fell on him.

* * *

><p>"That is child abuse, Bruce." Superman growled out. They'd been at this for nearly an hour. Batman had barely said anything. He'd just sat, glaring at them and every so often uttering a few angry words. "You cannot just torture the child like this!"<p>

"First of all, Robin is no longer a child." Batman said sternly. "Second, as I have mentioned previously, he gave consent."

"Bruce!" Wonder Woman slammed her hands on the table. "Don't you dare give us that! Dick cannot be trusted to make decisions for himself regarding his training. He is only thirteen, which is still a child. And what's more? He worships you, Bruce. He would do anything you asked. If you asked him to cut off his arm, he'd do it for you! You cannot tell us that it was consensual for him. You might not have held a gun to his head and told him to do the training, but how could he have said _no_?"

Batman just glared at her.

Flash sighed deeply. Batman wasn't relenting. Nothing they'd said so far seemed to have any effect on him. The only thing that had made him show any emotion was when they'd told them they were taking Dick away.

"Bruce, at least tell us why." Flash said softly. "We've gotten a huge list of everything you've put him through. I can't see how this is justified, at all."

"It was a training exercise." Batman hissed. "The exercise was to put Robin in the worst situation possible to make sure that when something terrible did happen he'd be able to keep his head and survive. And he has obviously proven this. He saved the entire team on their last mission."

"He's just a child, Bruce." Hawkgirl said. "Even if it was a training exercise there is no excuse for putting him through that now, or ever. No son should ever be hunted by his father."

Green Arrow snorted. "Father. Right. Bruce doesn't deserve to be a father after what he's done."

That got a reaction from the Dark Knight. Batman jumped up, knocking his chair back and grabbed at the table. The wood splintered under his hands. "Don't you dare say that, Queen." Batman hissed. "Don't you dare say that about me."

"Why not? You're torturing the boy!"

"I am not! He asked for this. He begged me to allow him to do the training when I'd mentioned it. I am keeping him safe by putting him through this. I am making sure that he won't _die_."

"We called you out before about this stuff." Green Arrow said. "When you first wanted to have Robin as your sidekick we protested. We only agreed because you promised to keep him safe, to make sure he was ok, and not to hurt him. And what have you done? You've nearly drowned him, beat the heck out of him, and subjected him to fear gas! Who know what else you've done?"

Batman opened his mouth but Superman cut him off. "Disregarding any of that." He said firmly. "Disregarding anything you've put him through or made him do… what about the future? Where will you stop Bruce?"

* * *

><p>"Guys! You can't be serious!" Robin cried. He stared in horror at Black Canary. "Batman doesn't abuse me."<p>

"He just cracked your ribs in training!" Kid Flash exclaimed. How was that not abuse?

"Are you kidding me?" Robin asked, rolling his eyes. "Everyone gets hurt in training. You break your nose every time you try to vibrate through the wall!"

"That's different. I hurt myself. Batman cracked your ribs."

"Because I didn't wear my armor and didn't get my defenses up. You're kind of missing the whole point of training, KF. We're supposed to get hurt during it. How else will we learn?"

"Let's ignore that." Black Canary spoke up. Her eyes bored into Robin and for a moment he felt the urge to hide. He didn't like her imploring gaze. He didn't like what they were implying. "Robin, what exactly happened in the training exercise that M'gann was talking about?"

Robin stared at the floor for a long moment. "Batman had mentioned it- the training. He didn't want to put me through it yet, but I asked him to." Robin glanced up; making sure his words had registered. "He gave me a mild form of the fear gas to make me disoriented. Then he chased me around Gotham and lured me into a trap and tried to get me to give away everyone's secrets. It was a worst-case scenario. We did it to make sure that in the future I'd be able to stay calm and survive when something like that happened."

"He beat you." Black Canary said softly. "Robin, what he did wasn't acceptable for training. He hurt you way more than necessary. He sprained your wrist, cracked two ribs; you had bruises for two weeks from the 'training', not to mention the fact that he also drowned you."

Robin's eyes were wide as he stared at them. How could they have known all of this? Batman hadn't kept a file about it. At least not that he'd know of. And the only other person who knew about it was… Alfred.

Alfred had told them. Someone from the League must have contacted him and Alfred had agreed to help him. Robin's face fell at the sudden betrayal. Sure, he knew that Alfred meant well. That would be the only way Alfred would ever do this to them but even so…

Black Canary took his disheartened look a different way. "Robin," She said gently, reaching out to grab his hand, "I know this is hard for you. I know you think of Batman as a father and that it's hard admitting that your father is hurting you, but please, trust me. This is better."

Robin jerked his hand away and flipped over the back of the couch. Horror mixed with fury. "How can you say this?" he demanded. "Batman _is_ my father. He isn't hurting me. He's keeping me alive! How dare you suggest that he's abusing me? Everything Batman does is to make sure I'm ok! He'd never do anything to harm me!"

* * *

><p>Superman's words seemed to hang in the air. No one knew what to say. "When does it stop, Bruce?" Superman asked softly. "What will you do next to make sure he is prepared? Are you going to break his arm, to make sure he knows how it feels? Are you going to torture him just so he knows to survive? Are you going to make him <em>kill<em> just so he'll never do it again? When are you going to _stop_?"

Batman didn't answer. His expression didn't change. He just stared at the man.

"That is why we're taking him away." Superman said. "We can't trust you with Richard's safety for the future. You used to be a great father to him, but now? Now you hurt him."

"The fact of the matter is, you've taken it too far." Wonder Woman said. "You used to balance yourself between father and mentor. Now it seems the father part has disappeared and all that's left is the mentor who will stop at _nothing_ for the mission. And we can't allow that."

"And Bruce," Aquaman added hesitantly. "He said that _you_ were the worst. He didn't say the villains or even that the training was worse than what he'd been through. He said _you_ were."

"You propose to love and care for him," Green Lantern added in, "And yet…"

* * *

><p>"This is insane! You guys don't understand! I'm going home." Robin sprung away from the group and rushed towards the zeta tubes.<p>

Kid Flash was suddenly in front of him. "Sorry, dude, we can't let you leave until we've talked about this."

"Yea, well, we tried talking about it and it didn't work." Robin snapped.

Black Canary walked over steadily and placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Robin," She said softly, "You can't go home."

"Watch me." He growled.

"No, you can't go home because Batman isn't your guardian anymore. You've been placed in the care of the League."

Robin's heart crashed to the pit of his stomach.

No. _No no no no no! _

Every single abandonment nightmare he'd had since he'd come to live with Bruce came swarming up. Bruce leaving him. He was gone. No family anymore. Taken away from his family- his _father_.

"No." Robin whispered. His body was trembling. They couldn't do that! They couldn't. He wouldn't be taken away from Bruce! Bruce would never allow that. They couldn't do that. Bruce was his father. He belonged at home with Alfred and Bruce. They couldn't just take him away!

He was panicking. "No, you can't." Robin cried. He spun out of Black Canary's grasp and stared at the team in horror. "You're joking. Tell me you're joking."

"Robin, he doesn't deserve you. No one should have to live with their abusive parent." Artemis said softly, wrapping her arms around herself.

"But-but- _no. _He's-he's my dad. That's my home!"

M'gann gave a sob at the feelings pouring off of Robin. Fear and anger and terror swirled around him like a tornado. They bombarded her senses. Connor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and just stared at the tiny boy in front of them. Connor could hear how high the boy's heart rate had become.

"Robin, it's for your own safety. Maybe later you can be reunited but-"

"No!" Robin gave a wild cry and rushed into the zeta beam tubes. A moment later the computer announced his departure.

"Great. He's gone back to the cave." Wally groaned. None of them would be able to follow him there.

"He won't stay there." Kaldur said. "He will be going to see Batman. You said Batman was at the Watch Tower, correct?"

Black Canary nodded. "Right. Everyone line up. I'll override the codes and we'll go."

* * *

><p>Batman had tackled Superman to the ground. "How dare you?" He cried. As Green Arrow and Aquaman approached him, Batman swept out his feet and knocked them all to the ground. "How dare you suggest that I don't care for Richard? How dare you suggest that I deliberately put him in harm's way!"<p>

Batman punched Aquaman and broke Green Arrow's bow before jumping out of the way of Hawkgirl's mace. "You of all people should know that I love that boy more than anything in the world." He hissed. His dark glare descended on each of them. "You saw me raise him. How can you take a single incident and turn it into a lifetime of abuse? I have done nothing to hurt him and I never will deliberately hurt him."

His breathing was ragged, both from the exertion and from the emotions. He stepped back and took in a deep breath. He had to calm himself. Going into a rage wouldn't help his case.

"Batman, please," Green Lantern tried. "We're only trying to help Richard. Let him stay with us until further investigation then-"

"No. He lost his family once. I am his family now and I am never going to let you make him leave me." Batman growled. "He won't lose another family."

"Bruce if you just-"

"Dad!" The doors to the conference room were thrown open and Robin burst in. His hair was devilish and his breathing was labored. Tears flowed down his cheeks. He stared at the Justice League members until his eyes fell on Batman. A sob escaped the boy. "Daddy."

The word didn't mean to come out, but it did. "Daddy." Robin sobbed again as if he was just a little boy.

Robin flung himself across the table and into his father's waiting arms. He buried his face deep into Batman's armored chest and wrapped the cape around himself. Batman clutched the boy close.

"They said I wasn't your son anymore." Dick sobbed. "Tell them their wrong. You promised you'd never leave me. They can't make you leave me. I don't want to lose you."

"Hush, Dickey." Batman murmured gently. His hand fell on Dick's head protectively. "I'm not leaving you." he glared at the other heroes, daring them to challenge him.

They did. "Dick," Wonder Woman said softly, "You can't want to stay with him. He hurt you. He won't stop. Next time it could be ten times worse!"

"Wasn't Dinah talking with you?" Green Arrow asked.

Dick just sobbed and looked up at Batman. "I'm not leaving." Bruce promised.

Suddenly the doors were thrown open again as Black Canary and Young Justice entered the room. They froze when they saw Robin buried in Batman's embrace.

"Robin," Superman grabbed at Robin's elbow. Robin gave a cry and shook him off.

"Don't!" Robin cried. "Stop talking, all of you! Stop talking and listen for once! You don't understand. I don't know if you ever will. Just listen!"

The others fell silent, letting the Bats take the floor. Robin glanced at his mentor, who gave a barely perceivable nod. "We aren't like you." Robin whispered to the crowd. "We don't have superpowers. We can't deflect bullets or have super strength or heal extremely fast. But I doubt any one of you would say that we weren't heroes. Half the time it is one of us who saves your butts."

His eyes searched out that of his team. "How many times has it been me who's come up with the last second plan? How many times is it my intel that's saved the group? How many times has _little human Robin_ saved the mission? While I'm human that certainly doesn't mean I can't be a hero."

"But," Batman cut in now, "the only way we can stay that way is because of our different training. We have to train harder to stay on top. We have to go through these things to ensure that we don't die."

"When is the last time you've gone up against one of Gotham's worst?" Robin questioned. "Last time the team did they would have killed each other if it hadn't been for me. And Superman, when you tried to take down Joker in Metropolis he leveled four blocks before you could even find him, even with your super powers. What about Hawkgirl? She tried to take down him once and was in the hospital for weeks because of his toxins. Even Two Face! Green Arrow tried to take him down and he couldn't do it."

"Our lot of criminals is different than yours." Batman finished. "Our training only reflects this. And while you may think it is cruel or torture… to us it's the only thing keeping us alive."

"Not only us," Dick added softly, "But all of Gotham and you guys."

No one spoke. No one honestly knew what to say.

After a long moment of silence Artemis stepped forward. "I understand." She said quietly as he met the little bird's gaze. "I don't have powers either and… well, I understand where they're coming from. You have to train differently. Everything has to be more intense. And, dealing with Gotham's criminals? Obviously their training is working or else Robin wouldn't be alive today. If anything, I think we should take a page from their book. We should learn how to fight through the worst possible scenarios. Otherwise we'll just be risking our lives, the lives of our team mates, and civilians."

After another pause M'gann nodded. "I know my powers get out of hand." She said. "If I had had the training Robin had, disaster would have been averted." She gave a tiny smile as she looked at the two. "Besides, the only emotions I've ever felt from Batman and Robin is that of love. He's never been scared of his father. If he truly was being hurt that wouldn't be the case."

"Training as they did would have kept the mission from becoming the failure that it was last time." Kaldur said. "It was Robin who saved us all thanks to his intense training."

One by one the other heroes voiced their agreements. Some responses were labored, burdened with guilt. Others seemed to have seen the light and agreed with a quiet reluctance, admitting that they had been wrong.

Once everyone had spoken Robin breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He sank back into his mentor's arms with a weak happy sob. "Good." He mumbled softly. Batman said nothing and simply stroked the boy's hair. Robin looked up at his father. "I think I'm ready to go home." He said softly.

* * *

><p>Bruce was unsurprised when that night Dick climbed into bed with him. "What's up?" Bruce asked softly as Dick cuddled up next to him. Dick was holding his old Batbear, which could only mean the worst.<p>

"For awhile I thought they really were going to make me leave you." Dick whispered. "I thought they were going to take away the only family I've known since my parents' deaths. Bruce, you don't know how much that frightened me."

Bruce wrapped his arms around the child. "I do know." He murmured. "I was terrified of what would happen. But, I never would have let them take you, Dickey. You are my son and I'm never going to leave you."

Dick gave a soft nod. "I love you dad." He whispered.

Bruce kissed his forehead. "I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you very much for reading this story, even though its taken me so long to update. I hope it was worth the wait. **

**I tried to cover every angle of the problem- from all POV's. How did I do? Please let me know!**

**A possible sequel may be in the works (but don't yet your hopes up yet. I'm working on three other stories, so it may take a bit.)**

**Thank you very much! Please leave me a review. Thanks for reading!**


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